Casey Palmer and The Globe and Mail do Father’s Day!

It’s been a busy summer, y’all.

After time spent everywhere from the Toronto Islands and Lake Simcoe all the way to Mexico, the juggling act between the #BloggerLife, the family, and a pile of paperwork that’s multiplying faster than a herd of rabbits has been an intense one.

So much so that I’ve been negligent in doing all I can to share news about the brand with the audience I’ve worked so hard to build!

For Father’s Day, our national paper The Globe and Mail got in touch to ask me some questions on fatherhood as a Canadian who writes about what it’s like as a Dad today. In the answers below, you’ll see I took the task very seriously, as the way I’m raising my boys is super-intentional, and I want them wanting for nothing in their lives—whether physically, mentally or emotionally—by the time they’re my age.

I enjoyed writing the responses below, and I hope you find a little of yourself in them, too!

Casey Palmer — Toronto-based blogger at CaseyPalmer.com

The most important lesson I learned from my father is to constantly show respect to others, expect respect in all situations, and teach respect to my children so they can do the same as they grow up. Treating others with respect can carry you a long way in this world.

What I most want for Father’s Day: Time. I’ve always kept busy with numerous projects, but with two kids under 3, the hours I used to spend toiling away on code and sketches is hard to come by.

If my kids had to describe me they would say I am the funny parent who sometimes talks like a robot and went out of his way to learn the Paw Patrol theme song. I’m good for wrestling matches, piggyback rides, or a good story before bed. I’m Daddy.

As a father I am trying to give my kids choices. My grandparents came to Canada to give my parents better opportunities in their adult lives, and my parents had children here so we could get Canadian educations and open doors that were never open to them. Now, with the leg up my parents gave me from being born Canadian, it’s my duty to pay it forward and help my boys become the best they can at whoever they wish to become.

The thing that makes me worry most as a dad is that I might fail to prepare my children for the big, bad world out there. Since the day I became a Dad, I accepted that I wasn’t there to live my kids’ lives for them, but rather arm them with the tools and skills needed to make good life decisions—but I always worry that whatever I’m doing simply won’t be enough.

My happiest moments as a dad are those peaceful ones amid the chaos, snuggling on the couch to read a book or napping with our infant son nestled in my arms. The older they grow, the less of these moments I’ll find, so I try to take as many of them in as I can.

One thing I’ve always wanted to tell my father is how much better I understand his life now that I’m a Dad myself, and all the apologies I need to make for being such a troublesome child when he just wanted what was best for me. So now I hustle constantly to become the kind of man he always knew I could be, just to show that his efforts weren’t all for nothing.

The thing I need to work on most as a father is taking good care of myself so I have enough rest to be patient, enough time to be present and enough health to be in their lives for a very long time.

Calling the Great White North his home, Casey‘s spent the last few decades in pursuit of creating killer content. From novels as a kid, comics as a teen, to blogs and photos once he could grow a beard, he’ll use whatever’s around him to create amazing stuff. When he’s not creating, he’s parenting, exploring and trying to make life as awesome as possible for everyone around him. Because a boring life’s not a life worth living!

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